Cuts leave animal shelter’s future uncertain

SNOW HILL — A budget crunch has the Greene County Animal Shelter casting about for repair money to fix problems cited in a state inspection and, the county’s health director says, to simply to stay in business.

SNOW HILL — A budget crunch has the Greene County Animal Shelter casting about for repair money to fix problems cited in a state inspection and, the county’s health director says, to simply to stay in business.

A $13,000 budget cut, part of a general austerity drive in a county government shaken by revenue shortfalls, has Health Director Michael Rhodes worried about the shelter’s future.

“If we have a full shelter,” he said, “I don’t know if we’ll have enough money to buy food (for the animals).”

A shelter inspector came out unannounced Tuesday and found a number of violations.

Rhodes said the annual inspection had been overdue — the last one was about a year and half ago. Many of the issues documented by inspector Lisa Carlson, from the Animal Welfare Section of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, have been ongoing, but have never been cited in the past, Rhodes said.

The violations include drainage problems, roof leaks, patched up fencing at the dog run gates and missing doors between the inside and outside dog kennels.

The concrete drainage has flow problems. The report states, “Water mixed with urine, feces and cleaning products is stagnant and standing in gravel.” Staff — an animal control officer and a shelter attendant — has to push the mixture down the drain with brooms, Rhodes said.

“That was something I was hoping would already have been fixed,” he said about the drainage.

The roof is leaking in an enclosed space that was added to connect two buildings. Rhodes said the roof has been patched, but Carlson apparently saw the roof was leaking because it was raining the day she came to inspect.

Other problems include unsanitary seepage between kennel walls, cat and dog door frames rusted through, the lack of numbering on the fronts of the kennels and an old washer and dryer left behind the building. Other issues include resealing, painting and repairing.

The larger dogs sometimes bite the chain link fence right through and the holes are patched with wire, he said.

“Evidently, the kinds of repairing we’re doing, (Carlson) isn’t pleased,” Rhodes said. “I mean, we could spend $25,000 down there. We don’t have that kind of money.”

They do have a $2,000 ASPCA grant they received several months back. Rhodes said he’s been trying to get estimates and repairmen have not showed up.

Plans are to use the funds to repair the drainage and probably the roof leaks.

Carlson did have one positive remark on the inspection sheet.

“It is quite obvious that this staff of two genuinely cares for all the animals that they shelter,” the report states. “All animals on premise appear to be happy and healthy.”

Page 2 of 2 - Carlson is expected to return to the facility around 60 days.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

Breakout box:

To make donations, call the Greene County Health Department at 252-747-8181 or visit the shelter at 1985 Hwy. 903 N., Snow Hill. Cash donations should go to Greene County Animal Partners. Call the shelter for information at 252-747-8184